Floating on the water in the summer months is bliss, especially if you want to build a raft yourself. You can drift and leave the worries of life behind for a while. Take advantage of the opportunity to keep your children busy with adventurous activities during the warm days. Thor Heyerdahl did it when he built Kon Tiki, and Huck Finn did it when he floated down the Mississippi with Jim in “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” This guide is for anyone who wants to create their own adventure during the summer.
So much of our daily lives has no tangible end product. Watching an episode of Game of Thrones can be an enjoyable way to pass the time. However, if you were to build a raft, on the other hand, it could bring a sense of achievement as well as a lot of laughter and good vibes. And there's always the option to practice swimming once you're in the water. As strange as it may sound, it's hard not to envy Tom Hanks as an islander who had to build a raft in the movie Castaway. Maybe not his exact situation, but the experience on the open sea.
The construction work is a real challenge
The construction of a functioning,floating raftrequires both rudimentary skills and lateral thinking. Building a raft in your backyard will not only bring your kids to life, but also put your vaunted DIY skills to the test in a physical and mental workout.
The challenge is to construct a waterproof raft using only basic supplies and your initiative. While this is worthwhile on your own, you should first plan the project well in advance with family or friends. Regardless of whether you are building a small raft or prefer a larger model with barrels or barrels, you can use simple materials such as nails and finally tie everything together with a rope. In fact, if you scour YouTube, you'll find both one onlineAmerican 10-minute building instructionsas well as oneTime lapse videofrom Great Britain, which shows the formation of a team for an annual raft trip. The materials shouldn't cost too much and you only need basic tools for construction.
The platform
The raft can consist of three main parts: the platform, the tubes (or barrels made of plastic) and the deck, which alsoto be called a “house”.is. In addition, there are various accessories that are necessary for a fun, safe and successful raft trip. Building a floating structure requires space and some instruments.
Assemble the top layer of the platform
The first thing you need to do is lay out the main part of the raft. For this you can use a sheet of plywood, which you will process first. This is the heaviest part of the raft and needs to be really sturdy to withstand the weight of a few people plus luggage while riding waves or currents. You can start with two layers of screwed plywood panels. You can lay out the bottom layer lengthwise with most boards, and then join the top layer together horizontally. This cross-directional fit creates greater stability, but you can use longer screws to attach the two layers together. This basically means that the platform won't fall apart when you first load the raft. This means you can save yourself any future repairs.
Attach support struts to the underside of the platform
First, attach ten 2 x 4 cm thick wooden slats, which you should not attach to the broad side, but rather drill through the narrow edge and screw them together with long screws across the width of the platform.
Then it's time to attach the guide rails to the bottom. One problem that can arise is that the pipes are pushed to the side of the raft by the water flowing underneath. This can cause instability in the middle and pull on the platform. To prevent this, you can create guide rails at the bottom of the main part, where you screw the boards along the length of the raft to a second rail about 50cm away from it. The pipes, or barrels, would sit in this area, while the rails will also give you much better attachment points for the straps. It may surprise you how well this system can work in reality.
Securing the engine
Of course, if you build a simple and small raft, you can move around in the water using paddles. However, the larger version will likely require a more powerful machine that can get you to your desired destinations through longer raft trips. In this case, you will need to reinforce the back of the raft as this would support the weight and power of the outer motor. A 10 x 10 cm wooden slat can be attached to the top of the platform. This is where you will clamp the motor. Below the platform, reinforce the area with a few sturdy pieces of wood and some very long screws.
Round off the top with a set of 2 x 4 cm wide slats. You can screw these flat around the edge of the platform and therefore provide additional reinforcement for attaching the studs. This is important if you want to take your raft up somewhere and keep your belongings on board. So you have more or less completed the platform.
Keep raft on surface
If you want to build a raft, you need something that will keep it above the water. A common option is to use sealed plastic drums or bins. For a professional version, you can buy two new or used rubber hoses. When these are new, each pipe can support 1.8 tonnes before being fully submerged. This means that even though the hoses are a few years old, they can provide more than enough buoyancy for your purposes.
Inflating the rubber hoses
The tubes usually have three internal chambers that can be inflated separately. This means that if a puncture occurs, the whole thing will not immediately collapse. Apparently Titanic was also based on a similar principle and we all know what happened to it, so you have to make the decision for yourself. If you destick the tubes, they can be bagged for transport, although they will still be heavy. The pipes are now unfolded and ready for storage.
You can attach each pipe with tension straps by running the straps in different directions to pull the pipes straight forward and back instead of up. This creates a much better grip and fixes the pipes in a more stable way.
Build the roof of the raft
The main purpose of this element is to serve as sun protection or rain protection. With small improvements, you can create a porch on the raft to make the most of the trip. Maybe this won't stop a storm, but if it doesn't happen too often, an additional structure can be useful. This structure is essentially the frame of the five sides of a cube, which you can attach to the base with metal brackets and diagonal braces. Additionally, you can add more struts to the back, which will significantly improve the overall stability of the structure. The sides can be made of coarse chipboard. You can cut these in half lengthwise and screw them to the diagonal struts to prevent your belongings from falling overboard. The whole thing can be equipped with side walls and compartments.
You can cover the roof with a normal tarpaulin that you attach to the frame. In this example, around half of the raft has been converted into a rolling parasol with two additional pieces of wood and some straps, which will cover most of the raft when needed. This also allows you to fully extend the roof.
Useful tips when building a raft
If you want to build a weatherproof raft, we recommend allowing for a low, sloping roof and a canopy option. However, you also need to keep in mind that the driver needs a clear 360° view at all times, not to mention access to the engine at the back of the raft.
Note on raft trips
On some of Europe's main rivers, an idyllic raft trip is not possible. Due to heavy river traffic with huge cargo ships, cruise ships and many small motorboats, it is necessary to equip all vessels larger than a canoe with an engine. On parts of the Danube towards Vienna, the number of boats can decrease and you can spend a long time in wonderful silence. If you want to do a non-motorized rafting adventure, you'll have to do it on a much smaller, calmer river. There are enough travel offers in Germany, for example even possible as a team building or company outing.
Luggage storage
Another thing you'll probably notice very quickly is the limited luggage space on the platform. The more passengers there are, the less space there is for personal belongings on the raft. In addition to large and small backpacks, as wellBag for valuables, you can also bring cooking and camping equipment, as well as food and water for some people. During long raft trips there are a number of things you need to have on board, such as life jackets, fire extinguishers, life ring, first aid kit, ropes, paddles, etc. When you cross the border, the authorities in each country check that you have the have the necessary equipment and documents with you for the trip.
It's surprising how quickly all of these supplies can get mixed up, despite your best efforts to keep everything in order. For this reason, you can read a few more tips in the next few lines.
- Bring boxes – you can store all cooking utensils and food in a large plastic box with a lid. It's also a good idea to bring two other hinged boxes for general equipment that needs to stay dry. As an alternative, you can use a piece of chipboard to create compartments in which you can store tents, small bags and other items.
- A good idea in this case would also be a storage net that you can hang from the roof and store small items such as sunglasses, sunscreen, cameras, towels, etc. for quick access.
- Hooks and Clothesline – From hanging laundry to securing the shower curtain, you can use ties and hooks to help.
If you want to build such a raft, it can be a difficult task. So we hope you found some useful information about it in this guide. Plan your next trip with a self-built raft for an unforgettable summer vacation.
